Observer Ideas is a one day festival of talks, debates and performances with a variety of speakers including: scientists, mathematicians, chefs, campaigners, musicians and environmentalists. With live music throughout the day and subjects ranging from technology to art, from science to food, and from big data to the economy this is a festival of the mind designed to inspire, challenge and maybe even provoke.

The festival, supported by BT will feature David Simon, creator of the acclaimed TV series The Wire. Other speakers include Tinie Tempah, Conchita Wurst, Jeremy Deller, Rokia Traore, Jack Monroe and Evgeny Morozov

To give you an idea of the breadth of topics to be discussed here is an outline of who is coming, and what they will talk about.

Edward Snowden

FEW individuals change the world. There is no doubt that the world, and what we know about the way our world operates, changed fundamentally on June 5, 2013.

That was the day the Guardian published the former intelligence analyst's explosive leaks and our understanding of data, government, and privacy changed forever. The documents that Snowden gathered and that the Guardian published showed how numerous global surveillance programmes gather our digital data, without our consent, and with barely any democratic oversight.

It has fuelled an urgent worldwide debate that shows no sign of resolution. And whatever the impact, politically, there is no doubt that it was undertaken at great personal expense. Nine days after the first publication, the US Department of Justice charged Snowden with two counts of violating the Espionage Act and theft of government property, punishable by up to 30 years in prison. His passport was revoked and he has been stranded in Russia ever since.

His appearance at Observer Ideas is the first time he has spoken, live, to a British audience since the story broke.

David Simon , author, journalist, TV writer/director/producer

The New Americas

David Simon, the most acclaimed and feted TV creator in the United States (winning multiple Emmys for Homicide, The Wire and Treme and currently working on a HBO mini-series about race in America based on Lisa Belkin's non-fiction book, Show Me A Hero) will tell us what he learned about his country during the writing and making of award-winning TV series.

Tinie Tempah, musician, entrepreneur

My life in music

Tinie has talked eloquently in the past about about the importance of family and role models, and the role that music can play in engaging with young adolescents. He will reflect on his own upbringing in London, his emergence as one of the most prominent faces in British music and his move from musician to running a business and building a brand.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist, presenter of the BBC's The Sky at Night

Why all children should be taught to reach for the stars

Maggie will deliver a highly-personal talk about growing up as a dyslexic child of African immigrants in London – and how she overcame many challenges to become the UK's foremost space scientist and new face of astronomy on the BBC.

Cedric Villani, mathematician, author

The art and romance of mathematics

Cedric Villani is one of the world's leading mathematicians – winner of the Fields Medal (often called the Nobel Prize for Maths) and one of just 52 mathematicians to have received it.

Conchita Wurst, musician, campaigner

Rise Like a Phoenix

Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest for Austria this year. Her appearance caused a furore when a vocal minority protested at what they saw as a performance which promoted LGBT rights. Wurst responded: "It was not just a victory for me but a victory for those people who believe in a future that can function without discrimination." Conchita will talk about the impact of her performance and the reaction to it, and will then perform Rise Like A Phoenix.

Jeremy Deller , Turner-award winning artist

The story of Adrian Street

When Jeremy Deller bought an album by the band Black Box Recorder many years ago he was struck by the picture on the cover. Jeremy set out to track down the person in the photograph. This is the story of what happened next.

Kim Dotcom , entrepreneur, pirate, digital activist, ex-playboy

Q&A: My life as a digital revolutionary

Founder of Megaupload one of the biggest sharing sites in the world, but arrested by New Zealand police a year ago acting on a warrant from the FBI. He is fighting extradition, has started a political party in New Zealand and has galvanised a group of digital activists to campaign against mass surveillance

Jack Monroe, food writer, campaigner

The politics of food

As a single mother to a young son, Jack was forced to give up her job working for the Essex fire service when she couldn't find childcare to cover her nightshifts. Living on benefits, she learned the hard way how to cook on a budget. She started a blog, A Girl Called Jack and now writes a weekly column for the Guardian. Her second book is coming out this Autumn.

Rokia Traore, musician, campaigner

The story of African women

Rokia, an award winning singer, songwriter and guitarist from Mali, is one of the most identifiable figures in African music. Rokia will speak and also perform a couple of songs to illustrate her story of African women. Last year, she explained the final track, Sarama, on her recent album Beautiful Arica: "These women are simply amazing. They are like iron women.”

Edwyn Collins, musician

The Possibilities Are Endless

The Possibilities Are Endless is the title of a new film about the singer Edwyn Collins who suffered a stroke in 2005. The film premieres at the London Film Festival the day before Observer Ideas. Edwyn and his wife Grace will talk about the impact of losing your memory, your speech and very nearly your mind. The title of the film refers to one of the few phrases that Edwyn could recall after his stroke. Edwyn will also perform a song or two.

Benjamin Clementine , musician

Words and Music

Benjamin Clementine was born and raised in London before moving to Paris in his early twenties. His first EP, Cornerstone, was released in June 2013. Though a musician, he also considers himself a writer. He told The Observer recently: "I don't think I'm a singer, I think I'm an expressionist. Having a spell in France, they put a lot of detail into the lyrics, it's very important because everyone is listening to what they are saying. It's like a play.

Chido Govera, educator, farmer, campaigner

How mushrooms can help save young African women

Chido will speak about the work she does across Africa and Asia and how the farming of mushrooms – itself a very simple process – had helped deliver independence, self-respect and money to thousands of young women.

Anthony Zaborski, cyber security expert

How safe is your ‘smart’ phone?

Anthony Zaborski has worked as a cyber-security expert for nearly 20 years and before that was a hacker of international renown. On stage he will reveal to the audience just how unsafe their phones are, and will show us the electronic secrets we leave behind.

Dr Kate Stone , Cambridge scientist, start-up entrepreneur

Come and play my DJ decks... they're made of paper

"I love paper, and I love technology," says physicist and former sheep herder Kate Stone, who's spent the past decade working to unite the two. She will demonstrate the innovative result live ion stage.

Denai Moore, musician

Words and music

Born in Spanish Town Jamaica, Denai was surrounded by music from a young age. Aged 10 Moore relocated with her family to Stratford, East London. One of Britain's brightest young talents and tipped by TimeOut among others for stardom she will perform a small number of songs and talk about her musical influences.

Evgeny Morozov, acclaimed author of The Net Delusion, and academic

Does Silicon Valley have all the answers?

Evgeny Morozov will talk about Silicon Valley and its growing belief that technology can provide an answer for all of the world's problems. Morozov will talk about why he has become a sceptic amongst a community of enthusiasts.

Michael Twitty , culinary historian, chef

What happened to the history of Deep South Cooking?

Author and chef Michael will talk through the history of African-American cooking and why it has been written out of the history of the landmark of American cuisines – the food of the Deep South.

Body & Soul

Words and music

Body & Soul is a multi-award-winning charity based in London that looks after children and families affected by HIV. This year Body & Soul celebrates its 18th year. Members of the Body & Soul choir will talk and sing about their experiences.

The Observer, the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, has a proud history of spreading ideas, encouraging debate and campaigning vigorously across a range of issues. This event is in the spirit of that tradition.

Concessions

A limited allocation of concession tickets are available for ages under 18 and over 60. Tickets are sold on first-come-first-served basis, and once sold, no further tickets are available by any method of booking. Appropriate cards to be shown at event.

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